No more champagne
by YlvaBorealis
Summary: The year is coming to an end and Sheldon's friends have abandoned him. Amy comes to his rescue but will the night play out as intended or will our heroes go off rails as usual? Read and find out in this 3-part New Year's Special!
1. Chapter 1

It's the 30th of December and our beloved friends are on vacation. The year is coming to an end and naturally this calls for a 3-day New Year's Special!

This chapter I dedicate to my dear friend Bluebird.

\- YlvaB

* * *

No more champagne

By YlvaBorealis

 **Chapter 1 – December 30.** ** _Dinner for two_**

"What do you mean 'cancelled'?" Sheldon shrieked, dramatically clasping his hand over his heart in the fashion favored by the silent film actresses of the early 1900's.

His roommate Leonard rolled his eyes, silently chastising himself for daring to think Sheldon might actually just let it go this time. "It's been cancelled. It has ceased to be. It's pushing up the daisies if you will" he explained, a not-so-subtle note of sarcasm in his voice. "In other words: it is now an ex-party."

"Stop trying to be clever Leonard, it doesn't become you."

Leonard's smirk quickly fell off his face. "I wasn't _trying_ to be clever I was just… I've been waiting for a chance to quote that sketch since… oh for Christ's sake, why am I explaining myself to you? Stuart has cancelled the annual Costume Party at the Comic Book Store, Sheldon, and you know perfectly well what that means. Just deal with it."

The short bespectacled man returned to his Star Wars-cereal, hoping the tall man at the opposite end of the kitchen island would take the hint and stop peppering him with questions. The tall man in question had no such plans however, anxiously fidgeting in his seat as he tried to make sense of this situation.

"But we attend the costume party every year" he began, his voice surprisingly thin and frail, "it's tradition. I spent a fortune on a new Flash costume. Plus" he added, raising his right eyebrow reminiscently at Leonard who continued to ignore him, "Penny will be sad if she doesn't get to go as Wonder Woman."

"Nope, Penny won't" Penny quipped, bumping fists with her husband while still remaining engrossed in her glossy magazine, "Penny's getting her hair and nails done, and then her hubby is taking her out to fancy dinner because he knows how grateful he should be that he gets to see her naked every day."

"Yeeeeah" Leonard giggled, a stupid grin plastered on his face as he turned to look at his beautiful blonde wife. Sheldon wrinkled his nose in disgust, looking down to poke aimlessly through his own Star Wars-cereal.

It seemed things were changing so fast these days. Had this discussion taken place the year before he would have continued to press the issue, suggesting their other friends Koothrappali and Wolowitz with their significant others must be planning to correct this error – Raj loved parties, everybody knew that – but as it was now he was hit with the realization that they had probably already made other plans for New Year's Eve that didn't include him. He didn't know why he knew that because he had never been particularly well-versed in, nor considerate of, the habits of ordinary human beings, but suddenly it all seemed… well, not _clear_ to him, that was for sure, but it was there for him to look at out of the corner of his eye. And what he saw made him sad.

"I see" he mumbled and put a spoonful of soggy cereal in his mouth, imagining how it grew to massive proportions. As he swallowed he could feel it slide down through his throat all the way to his stomach, and he let out a disgusted grunt as he shoved the cereal bowl out of his sight.

"Stop being such a drama-queen Sheldon" Penny sighed as she finally tore her eyes away from her magazine, "it's not like we're leaving you to spend the weekend alone. Besides, don't you have plans with Amy?"

Sheldon cocked his head to the side bemusedly at the mention of his girlfriend's name.

"Why of course I do" he said, thinking it should be obvious, "the plan was to attend the costume party together. She's going as Super Girl."

Penny snorted derisively. "Does she _know_ she's going as Super Girl?"

"Penny, Penny, Penny" Sheldon sighed, shaking his head in exasperation, "once again you prove how fortunate you are that men seem to find blonde bodacious women like yourself attractive ("Was that a compliment or an insult?" Penny asked Leonard who suddenly seemed to find a dark spot on the table very interesting), and I suggest you keep playing that to your advantage. To answer your question: the costume party is an annual event. As Amy and I have been going out for five years she is well aware of my plans for this weekend."

"Well, it seems there's been a change of plans, smart-ass" Penny bit back as she started to lose patience with her quirky friend. She took one last bite of her toast and gulped down the remainder of her now-cold coffee, patting Leonard's shoulder to signal it was time for them to get going.

"People say _I'm_ immature, and yet you two are the ones leaving in the middle of a discussion" Sheldon berated his friends as they began collecting cell phones and car keys, slightly miffed that they never seemed to take his troubles seriously.

"We're not leaving you Sheldon, Penny has an appointment at the nail salon and she promised she'd take me to the Lego Store after she's done" Leonard informed his lanky friend, grabbing his wife's hand as he opened the door to let them out and leave Sheldon to deal with his dilemma on his own.

"Because that's what happens when you're nice" Penny sing-songed, biting her teeth together as Sheldon stuck his tongue out at her. It quickly retracted back into his mouth as Penny growled at him like a tiger, and hers and Leonard's laughter rang in his ears long after they'd disappeared out of the apartment.

"Stupid Leonard" Sheldon muttered as he began clearing the breakfast table, "stupid, stupid Stuart… and stupid, _stupid_ Penny!"

Well this was nothing short of a disaster. He'd never been particularly fond of celebrations but the New Year's party along with Star Wars Day were the most important events of the year as far as he was concerned. He hadn't even considered the fact that his friends wouldn't be joining him this year, much less that there would be no party to attend. 'So this is how it begins' Sheldon thought sadly as he washed the last of the coffee mugs, 'first they'll stop showing up for parties, then they'll only show up for dinner once a month, then Leonard and Penny will reproduce and I'll only see them for Christenings and possibly birthday parties and then…then…then…"

He put away the coffee mug and reached for his phone that he'd left on the counter, his hands trembling as he browsed through his contacts in search of his girlfriend's number. He nervously paced around the kitchen as he waited for the signal to go through.

'Pick up, pick up, pick up' he thought anxiously, jutting his tongue out to lick his bottom lip.

Suddenly there was the distinct sound of someone – presumably Amy – fumbling with their phone while trying to balance bags and grocery lists and a shopping cart.

"Hello?" Amy said, the tone in her voice indicating she was busy. However, identifying such subtle cues wasn't Sheldon's strongest suit and thus the words that came out of his mouth weren't 'I hear this isn't a good time, maybe I should call later', as had been appropriate.

"Amy, you need to come over, it's an emergency" he told her instead, ignoring the exhausted sigh at the other end of the line.

Amy clasped her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she pushed the cart in front of her.

"A real emergency or did you just forget that there's no new episode of Doctor Who tonight because of the holidays?"

"Amy, you should know better than to ask me that! You know I never forget anything!" Sheldon lectured her, putting his hand on his hip and rolling his eyes even though she wasn't there to witness him doing so. "…But now that you mention it I might have had…. _Better_ things to do than to remember that so now I'm sad because you reminded me" he mumbled, thinking this day couldn't possibly get any worse.

If Amy's hands had been free she would have rubbed her temple, but as they weren't she would have to make do with letting out yet another exasperated sigh.

"Alright Sheldon, I'm coming over. Will you be good on your own until I get there?"

The tall lanky man felt his heart flutter ever so slightly at the thought of his girlfriend coming over to take care of him in his time of need.

"Please hurry. It's not even 9.30 a.m. and my world is already falling apart" Sheldon whined, letting out a little sniffle for emphasis.

Thirty-five minutes later he found himself wishing he hadn't put on the waterworks in order to lure his girlfriend over to comfort him. Amy Farrah Fowler was a petite woman, the top of her head barely reaching up to his chin when they stood face to face (or rather chest to face), and her conservative style of dress and dark-rimmed glasses could fool anyone into thinking she was timid and bookish.

The latter was true but while she was indeed quite naïve and socially awkward, she was also confident and righteous - and nothing short of a thunderstorm once ticked off.

"Sheldon, you're my boyfriend and I'm always here for you, but you can't call me up telling me there's an emergency whenever your routine is disturbed!" she scolded him, pacing back and forth in front of the lanky physicist where he sat in his designated spot on the couch. He cringed as the words hit him, having never liked when she raised her voice at him.

"But Amy, I had plans for us for New Year's Eve and now they're ruined" he tried, knowing Amy usually softened if he fluttered his dark eyelashes at her, and as expected Amy lowered her shoulders somewhat. "I'm sorry" he added, pleased with himself as the corner of his girlfriend's mouth curled up in the slightest of smiles.

"Darnit, why do you have to be so cute?" she sighed, slumping down in the seat next to him and resting her head against the back of the couch. "I can never stay mad at you."

"It's the old cow eyes" Sheldon chirped happily, gently patting her thigh. "My mother used to bring out the soulful stare whenever my Daddy proclaimed he intended to go out to bury himself in booze and busty blondes."

"How… charming…."

"Emotional blackmail always is."

Amy turned to him, studying his boyish features and trademark double-layered t-shirts for a minute before addressing the issue at hand.

"Sheldon, I know that you've attended this costume party several years in a row and that it's part of your routine, but I would appreciate it if we could discuss our plans for the holidays as a couple. You told me we'd be having dinner for New Year's and I've just been out shopping for it."

Sheldon sent her a confused look. "We _were_ having dinner. At the comic book store before the costume contest."

"You said we'd be having a 'home-cooked meal'."

"Koothrappali was cooking. At his home."

Amy groaned, chastising herself internally for having been in a relationship with this man for almost six years (apart from the past six months when they'd been broken up before getting back together before Christmas) and yet she still hadn't learned to take what he said literally.

Sheldon removed his hand from her thigh then, suddenly not sure if his touch was welcome or not. It had barely been two weeks since they'd finally consummated their relationship, and he was still trying to work out what this all meant. Was a hand on her thigh really just a hand on her thigh or would she interpret it as him trying to appease her by sending her a sexual invite, and would that in turn make her angry or would she be delighted that he was showing interest? Would she be upset if he didn't intend for it to be an invite and turned her down should she try anything? It was all very confusing. As it was he felt it was best if he kept his hands to himself while they were having this discussion.

The bespectacled brunette watched her boyfriend fidget in his seat, instinctively knowing what he was wrestling with. She too was still trying to navigate this new territory, and she knew Sheldon's obsessive compulsive thoughts made it difficult for him to accept change. Perhaps this was all a bit much for him – and to be fair he _had_ expected them to attend the party together and he hadn't been misleading her, at least not intentionally. Maybe there was a way for her to make them both happy?

"Sheldon" she mumbled, grabbing his hand and placing it on her thigh once again, "it's okay if you… if you just want to touch me. I'm not expecting anything."

Sheldon simply nodded in response, and Amy couldn't help but smile when she felt him gently squeeze her leg through the fabric of her skirt.

She decided she would try to cheer him up. "Listen, I know that you've looked forward to this costume party all year, and that you're a little sad that the others opted out this time and that Stuart cancelled… But maybe there's a way for both of us to get what we want?"

Sheldon turned to her, softly tilting his head to the side as he tried to work out what she was up to. An IQ of 187 and he still had no clue what went on in that woman's head.

"What are you suggesting?" he asked, unable to deny even to himself that he was slightly intrigued.

Amy shot him a smug smile, leaning forward to brush her lips over his.

"You just wait and see. I have an idea" she whispered, letting out a soft gasp of delight as he gave up trying to keep his hands to himself.

* * *

Danger Danger! It looks like Amy's getting too smart for her own good. What will happen next? Stay tuned for chapter two - " _I'll do my very best"._

Dead Parrot Sketch

courtesy of Monty Python et. al.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for you wonderful reviews. Unfortunately there seems to be something wrong with so I haven't been able to reply, but I have read them all and they were wonderful 3**

 **Pour Avril.**

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 **Chapter 2 – December 31.** ** _I'll do my very best._**

It had something to do with rabbits.

Rabbits and trees and holes… although that sounded suspiciously like a work of fiction for children that Disney had adapted into a movie that still scared him to this day. And wasn't that thing about the rabbit for ties, as opposed to bow ties?

See, the thing with eidetic memories is that most of the time they only work if you actually _listen_ to what you're being told. There were notable exceptions of course like jingles and vulgar rock songs from the 1980's – Sheldon was sure it would take a full lobotomy before he forgot the lyrics of _Don't Stop Believin'_ – but most of the time the rule was as follows: if he didn't _care,_ he didn't remember it.

A rule which he was cursing now that he was trying to remember how to tie a bow tie.

"The rabbit goes around the tree, and then… around the tree again…no?" Sheldon mumbled to himself as he tore the knot apart and started over for the umpteenth time that prevening. "Around the… and down into… Oh for the love of… I am _not_ wearing a clip-on!"

Sheldon Cooper wasn't known to willingly admit defeat, especially not at the (metaphorical) hands of a piece of fabric whose origins could be traced back to the collective rear ends of a hive of Chinese creepy-crawlies, but he couldn't for the life of him remember how to tie it. He absolutely refused to ask Amy to do it once she arrived: a man who neither possessed the monetary means to hire a valet to tie his bowtie for him nor the skills to do it himself simply shouldn't wear one. Thus the black silken ribbon went back into his drawer until further notice.

"Oh…" he sighed, and sat down on the edge of the bed, wishing Leonard had been there to help him. But his bespectacled roommate had declared he'd rather spend his weekend indulging in champagne and socially-approved intra-marital coitus at a hotel "far far away from you Sheldon" than help his friend of ten years get dressed for dinner with his girlfriend. He and Penny had flown out of the apartment before Sheldon could even bid them goodbye and wish them a Happy New Year – something that had upset him greatly. It wasn't like them to dismiss him like that, not even when he knew he deserved it. Had he really given them reason to believe he intended to join them? And why was that so bad anyway?

He groaned as he arose from the bed, rubbing the small of his back as he made his way over to the closet to pick out a new outfit for the evening since he couldn't wear his fancy black dress jacket without a bowtie. Amy was due to arrive soon and he knew she expected him to look his best. Not that he understood how she was planning on recreating both Stuart's costume party and the fancy dinner she herself had planned – she had insisted they would be the only attendees and there could be no costume party without participants and… costumes. Right?

"Wrong" Amy replied as he asked her the same question some forty-five minutes later when she stepped through the door to the apartment, "There is a way but I won't tell you just yet. I'm surprised you have so little faith in me Sheldon, I thought we'd already established that my intelligence – much like yours – is of the problem-solving kind."

She handed over bag after bag of groceries as she spoke, seemingly not caring that Sheldon had just steamed his shirt and blazer and was trying not to wrinkle them.

"Amy, you know perfectly well that I've never doubted your deductive capabilities nor your intellect, but you were asking me to have faith in something that was purely theoretical!"

Amy stopped handing over bags then, looking up at her boyfriend whose knees buckled under the weight of the heavy load she'd entrusted him with.

"May I remind you, _Doctor_ Cooper, that you've made a career out of having faith in that which is purely theoretical?"

Sheldon blinked, unable to pick up his jaw from the floor as his hands were still full of bags of groceries. Amy shook her head at him, grabbing two of the aforementioned bags and making her way over to the kitchen to begin work on dinner.

The lanky physicist - _theoretical_ physicist, mind you - couldn't tear his eyes off the dark-haired bespectacled whirlwind that was his girlfriend. She looked pretty tonight. Flowy black dress, deep purple cardigan, black modest heels, hair slightly curled… And she was wearing the golden necklace he had given her for her birthday this year. Her _real_ birthday gift had been his genitals of course, but he had also wanted to give her something she could keep with her, something to remind her of what they had done and what she meant to him. Ah, his teeth hurt from the sweetness of it all. He might have to play some R-rated video games later and smash a few trolls to restore balance. But there she was. Looking absolutely radiant.

"And may I remind _you,_ Dr. Fowler, that my job isn't to have faith in theory, it's to _prove_ it" Sheldon countered as he too came around the kitchen island and sat the grocery bags down, shooting a glance at the petite neurobiologist by his side that was meant to be knowing but came out looking like he had a tummy-ache.

Amy pushed a strand of dark hair to the side, eyeing him up and down before answering.

"Well that's what I'm trying to do too. Proving that we can compromise. As of now my idea is purely theoretical but I trust myself Sheldon. I trust _us._ Have we ever been unsuccessful in proving any of our theories? Haven't all the experiments we've conducted produced positive results?"

Sheldon contemplated this, licking his bottom lip and nodding as he did so. It was true: this was the core of their dynamic duo. They came, they theorized, they proved. Now why should this meek New Year's dinner be any different?

"You are absolutely right Amy Farrah Fowler" he agreed at last. "As a fellow scientist I feel the need to apologize. You've presented a valid hypothesis and rather than taking on the task of proving it I doubted you."

Amy patted his hand then, something that sent a spark of electricity through his body.

"Apology accepted Sheldon. Now come on, let's get started on dinner" she told him, nudging her head in the direction of the bags to signal that she wanted him to unpack them.

"Alright" he agreed, picking out groceries and arranging them on the counter by color and content. Had Amy not been there he would have measured the distance between the varying cans and bags of fruit and vegetables with a ruler, but now he settled for offering his girlfriend interesting little factoids about Norwegian fishing politics ("Did you know that there's a minister of fisheries in Norway? Isn't that fascinating?") and testing her knowledge of the chemical compound of Diet Coke.

Naturally his little lump of wool passed the test with flying colors but it felt comforting to know that there was still some mystery left in the relationship.

"Amy, why is there champagne in this bag? You told me no one else was coming" Sheldon asked confusedly as he unloaded two bottles of something that looked suspiciously like sparkling wine from the last paper bag.

"It's not champagne, it's sparkling cider and Spanish cava" Amy corrected him while trying to de-bone the catfish, "The word 'champagne' refers specifically to sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region in France. And I told you, this is a dinner for two… sort of."

Sheldon looked at her suspiciously. "You know I don't drink. And 'sort of' is not an answer."

She put away the knife then, a smile at the corner of her mouth. "I know you don't. And what did I tell you about trusting me? You'll just have to be patient."

Muttering something unintelligible under his breath Sheldon decided to make himself useful and put the bottles in the freezer and begin work on the batter for the fried fish Amy had told him they'd be having as one of the main courses. Amy watched him take his blazer off and roll up his sleeves over his elbows, feeling a surge of desire at the pit of her stomach. She still couldn't believe this handsome man was hers, and that he now willingly shared his body with her. She was still a little unaccustomed to openly admiring his physique like this, but she was quickly growing confident.

"You're so beautiful" she mumbled as he closed the door to the freezer, his back still to her. He turned around then, rolling his eyes at her.

"Hippy-dippy woman" he muttered, lovingly patting her bottom as he made his way around her to get the ingredients from the pantry. Amy smiled and proceeded with de-boning and filleting the fish, enjoying the comfortable silence between them that followed.

Sheldon didn't know what to think. Amy had brought enough food to feed an army, yet she insisted that they'd be alone for the evening. But if it was only going to be them, why had she instructed him to set the table for six?

Amy kept quiet though and Sheldon figured he would just have to trust her, no matter how badly he wanted to pester her with questions. Since he resisted that urge they were able to work quickly and efficiently together, and soon the alluring scent of sweet potato fries and freshly cut herbs wafted through the apartment, teasing Sheldon's senses and reminding him that he hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast.

"Now", Amy began as she put the dessert in the refrigerator, "I know that I said that there was only going to be the two of us tonight but that's not… exactly true." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, a cheeky grin on her face. "There are… four guests invited."

Sheldon wrinkled his eyebrows in question as he put his blazer back on after having washed his hands and rolled down his sleeves.

"But our group of friends is made up of eight people, nine if you count Stuart… Okay eight people, but the table is set for six. I hope Wolowitz and Emily weren't too sad when you told them they couldn't come."

He couldn't decipher the look on her face. "None of our friends are coming Sheldon, these are… different guests." She made her way over to the freezer to pick out the bottles of cider and sparkling wine. "Why don't you sit down on the couch and I'll explain to you what's going to happen."

"Well I'd think you owe me that much after keeping me guessing all day" Sheldon muttered under his breath as he made his way over to the brown leather couch that was the center of his Universe. He sat his dress pant-clad behind down in his assigned spot, rubbing his hands over his thighs as he watched Amy sit down in the armchair to his left.

Amy shot off one last smug smile before she proceeded to inform him of her plans. "I've invited four people to join us for dinner tonight. Not strangers, mind you. You know these people very well. And since you know them better than I do, I assign you the role of host for the night."

She leaned back in the chair, looking awfully pleased with herself.

Sheldon stared at her, thinking she'd gone mad for real this time.

"What on Earth are you talking about woman? What people? And if you expected me to host dinner tonight you should have notified me 72 hours in ad-"

"If you let me finish-"Amy interrupted him sharply "-I will tell you all about my plans for the night. As I said, there will be four guests joining us. To my right (here she pointed at Sheldon) I have the Flash, and to _his_ right I've placed Superman. The Green Lantern I've placed at the far end of the couch, Aquaman sits comfortably on the opposite end of myself, and Batman is being his usual troubled self here on my left hand side. And I -"she pushed her chest out proudly, "-Why I'm Wonder Woman of course."

"I… I…" Sheldon stammered, his jaw moving up and down but the sounds that came out were neither coherent nor intelligible. "I... Are you… Forgive me Amy but you've lost me. Would you please explain what you mean?"

"Why of course. Since the costume party was cancelled and I thought you and I were having a traditional date for New Year's Eve, I decided I'd compromise and combine the two. As you already know, no one could join us for an impromptu costume party and so I decided we'd… play the parts of the Justice League. You know… like role playing."

"R-r-r-r-ole playing?"

"Yes. Like what you and the guys do at that big play-date."

"You mean Comic-Con."

"If you say so."

Sheldon looked at his girlfriend, trying to decide whether she was pulling his leg or not. He knew that people sometimes used his poor social skills to get their way (and to mock him), but this was Amy. Amy didn't do that. So by that logic, she had to be serious.

"Does this mean I can change into my 'Flash' costume?" he asked hopefully, jumping up and down in his seat ever so slightly.

Pause.

"Well…" Amy began, fidgeting in her seat, "I thought maybe we could just… _pretend._ And there was that thing about compromising. But I assure you the "guests" are all in costume."

Sheldon contemplated this.

"Very well" he said at last, "continue."

"Okay. So, I brought one bottle of sparkling wine and one with sparkling cider. I thought we'd take turns playing the parts of the guests, with you acting as host for the night. We have dinner, we toast, and if you want we can watch the ball drop on TV. I know you're scared of fireworks."

She sent him a sympathizing look, one he was grateful for. It was one of the things he loved about her: that she never faulted him for being scared or insecure.

"I must say Amy, that this is unusually clever, even for you" he commended her, feeling himself get excited at the prospects of the night. "How do you suggest we proceed?"

"I suggest…" Amy began seductively, "…that we open this bottle of bubbly." She handed one of the bottles to him, cocking her head to the side sweetly.

"Will you be drinking this by yourself?" Sheldon asked as he gingerly accepted it, feeling his stomach tie into a knot as he thought of the 'pop!' that was soon to come.

"I don't know. Will I?" Amy teased, rather enjoying herself. She'd never admit it to Sheldon but she was thrilled to have him all to herself this evening – and she was excited about their little game. This could be fun.

"Hmmphh" Sheldon huffed, crossing his right leg over the other as he kept a steady grip around the cork with his left hand. He used his dominant right hand to slowly turn the bottle, in the manner taught to him by his grandmother, who was never shy to pop a bottle or three of sparkling wine every New Year's Eve… and at birthdays… and Bingo nights.

'Pop!' the bottle went, startling both Sheldon and Amy, eliciting a nervous laughter from both of them. "Oh, I saw it coming" Amy giggled, holding her glass out for Sheldon to fill it up.

"Me too" Sheldon chuckled nervously, his hands trembling as he poured sparkling wine into his girlfriend's glass. He then proceeded to fill up his own glass, something that caused Amy to wrinkle her brow in question.

"I brought sparkling cider for you" she pointed out, being serious this time, "it's non-alcoholic."

Sheldon twirled the glass in his hand, admiring the bubbles and the color. "It's alright. I'm The Flash and Superman tonight, remember? Alcohol does nothing to me. Also, it's a non-optional social convention to drink sparkling wine tonight, am I right?"

Amy nodded, but felt she needed to make sure.

"Drinking should always be optional, Sheldon."

"Well, it's only you and me here. What could happen?"

Amy cocked her head to the side, deciding that she could act as supervisor for the night. He was right: they were alone.

"Okay Sheldon, but remember that you're in charge. Have a drink if you want to, but I'm not expecting anything" Amy carefully worded as she got up from her seat to get the starter.

" _You_ might not be expecting anything missy, but I'm certainly expecting you to bring that food over because I'm hungry" Sheldon sassed, taking a tiny sip of his wine. He coughed as the bubbles tickled his throat, but he rather enjoyed the flavor and helped himself to another tiny sip before he sat the glass back down on the table in front of him.

"Hey" Amy warned as she came over with the cold green pea soup.

"Alright, alright" Sheldon mumbled, gratefully accepting his bowl of soup and the freshly baked scones him and Amy had made. They really were a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen he thought. Perhaps they needed to cook together more often.

"A toast" Amy offered, "To the end of 2015 and to the beginning of 2016." She raised her glass, nodding in Sheldon's direction.

"Hear hear" Sheldon agreed, lifting the glass to his lips and taking yet another sip.

"Superman?" Amy asked, raising her glass once again.

Sheldon looked at her for a second, not understanding what she meant.

"Oh!" he said at last. "Oh of course."

He lifted his glass again, licking his finger to twirl a strand of hair into a curl that rested cockily on his forehead. "For freedom, justice, and the American way, ma'am." He took a slightly larger sip this time, enjoying the feel of it sliding down his throat.

Amy giggled at his baritone voice and the way he so willingly played along, and took another sip of bubbly. "Let's eat" she said, motioning for Sheldon to taste his soup.

They ate, talked, and laughed, both feeling a little invigorated after their respective sips of wine. After they'd finished the starter they cleared the table, Amy instructing Sheldon to sit down in his spot as she served the catfish.

"Now, I know you had this as a child in Texas" she said as she carried the plate of fried fish to the table.

"My Meemaw used to make it every Wednesday" Sheldon awed, the scent taking him back twenty years to the steaming hot summers of the Southern United States where he'd grown up. "I know I made the batter myself but I'm still so excited!"

"I'm glad." Amy's eyes were soft as she watched the man she loved dig into his meal, knowing how much it meant to him to have a piece of home on this day.

Sheldon shuffled a gargantuan mouthful of fried fish and sweet potato fries into his mouth, washing it down with a healthy gulp of cava before saying: "I suppose it's my turn to offer a toast then." He put his knife and fork down and raised his glass once again, doing a quick double-take as he noticed it was nearly empty. Amy briefly considered stopping him from refilling their glasses but instead she just giggled as he spilled a few droplets out on the coffee table. "Look who's tipsy" she teased, poking his foot with her own.

"Knock it off Wonder Woman, I was just about to offer a toast. Besides, I told you lallco…- _alcohol_ has no effect on Super Man."

He took another drink, suddenly pausing to eye her figure up and down. Amy felt a little stir of… _something_ as he ogled her so openly.

"We should get you a Wonder Woman costume" Sheldon purred uncharacteristically, eliciting a gasp from his suddenly nervous (and excited!) girlfriend.

'Oy vey' Amy thought. 'Maybe this was not such a good idea after all'.

* * *

Oh Dear, what is Amy up to now? The Shamy getting drunk together? Surely they wouldn't...? Or would they?

A special note to my European readers: anything you might recognise is purely intentional and I hope you got a good laugh out of it!


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